grace by an acte draweÌ„ out of the frewyll of grace deserueth worthely euerlastynge lyfe Beholde christen reader whan as carnall wysdome shall heare that she hath such power and can drawe forth by naturall power a good mocion towarde God may deserue therby wyll she not fall to the pharisaycall pryde and wyll she not attribute to her selfe it that pertayneth to god The whiche is nothynge elles but to treade vnder fete the sonne of god and to reken the bloud of the testamente but as an vnholy and a ê“phane thynge by the which we be fanctifyed Moreouer oure nature which leaneth and setteth to muche by her selfe swellynge wyth thys learnynge is brought into coÌ„fidence of workes For nature hearyng that we partly can deserue euerlastynge lyfe with oure dedes wyll enforce herselfe to heape together merytes the whiche beyng many and plenteous she wyl truste and haue a good hope in them and when they fayle an decay she wyll fall in to despayre by the whiche errour the worthynesse and deseruyng of Chrystes death is defaced and hyd wyth darcknes and mans conscience is buylded vpon the sonde of workes and surely at euery tempeste of tribulacion it wyll fall ¶ The olde learnynge In the seconde Epistle vnto Timothe the i. Chapter God saued vs not accordyng to oure workes but accordyng to his purpose and grace which was geuen vnto vs before the euerlastyng tymes Such lyke is ther also Tit. iii. IteÌ„ Ephe. ii Ye be saued by grace thorow fayth and not of youre selues it is the gyft of God not of workes leste ony man shulde boaste The scripture here taketh away the cause of deseruynge or merite froÌ„ oure workes and geueth to grace that we be saued For that he sayth not accordyng to our workes and also not of yow suerly he doth not admitte or receaue that acte or dede that is drawen out of wyll to the prayse of saluacion or merite Christe deserued all thinges vnto vs with his bloud And we are iustifyed frely Roma iii. The heretage was not gotteÌ„ by oure laboure but by Christes The fayth in Christe maketh vs sonnes therefor heyres ergo workes do it not Ro. iiii To hym that worketh is the rewarde not rekened of fauoure but of deutye To hym that worketh not but beleueth in hym that iustifyeth the vngodly is fayth couÌ„ted for ryghteousnesse Ro. viii For I suppose that the affliccyons of this lyfe are not worthy the glory which shal be shewed vpon vs. Lu. vii Whan ye haue done all thynges that be coÌ„maunded you yet saye that ye be vnprofyble seruauntes Esay lxiiii All our ryghteousnesses are as a defyled cloth c. i. Corin. iiii What haste thou that thou hast not receaued Rom. xi Who hath geuen hym oughte afore hande that he myght be recompenced agayn Philip. ii It is God which worketh in you both the wyll also the dede eueÌ„ of good wyll Yf so be that God worketh in vs goodnesse what shal we arrogauÌ„tly clayme and ascrybe there vpon to oure power and strength And yf we deserue the blysse why doth scripture cal it grace Therfore be not we saued by oures but onely by the workes merytes of Christ But where as the scripture somtyme maketh mencyon of rewarde ther can no man there vpon take iuste occasyon to swell and be proude for fayth workynge by charite is the gyfte of God good workes are the gyfte of God so that yf God do rewarde vs we muste vnderstande that he doth not rewarde oure workes but his owne workes in vs. But thou yf thou clayme ony thynge there vpon to thy selfe then shalte thou receaue no reward of glorye wyth the wycked pharyses but thou shalte fele the punyshment of the fyre of hell And seynge that it is so it maye be easely iudged who teacheth more truely I wyth the Apostle do alwayes exorte meÌ„ to the true good workes whiche be done in fayth alwayes takynge hede that a maÌ„ by reason of them trust not in hymselfe and be reproued with the pharyse They do so pricke and moue vnto good workes that they reste and put in them the hope of saluacyon and the cause of merites wherby at chauÌ„seth that euery where men do them wyth this false opinion to be iustifyed and saued by them We not despysynge the grace of God do teach both that we be saued only by the grace of God and we buylde mens conscyences not vpon workes but vpon the stone that is Christ agaynst the whiche the gates of hell can not preuayle and do alwayes beate in this moost confortable gospell or glad tydynges That heretage is geuen by fayth that the promyses may be sure after grace As sayeth Paul Ro. iiii and .v. We iustifyed by fayth haue peace wyth God thorowe Christe ¶ Of synne The new learnynge The lust or concupiscence that remayneth in a man after baptyme the lawe of the membres infirmitie or sycknesse is no synne nother veniall nor mortall and after baptyme it is not original but is the payne of synne Neuerthelesse it bryngeth forth synne This opinion maketh a man that is baptysed slowe and dull to fyght agaynst the fleshe for he beleueth that he is all whole in sauegarde ¶ The olde learnynge Concupiscence which sheweth her selfe by hir euell frutes euen in a man that is baptysed is synne of her selfe Ro. vii Here the Apostle sayeth Now I myne owne selfe do not this but the synne which dwelleth remayneth in me The Apostel doth not here speake iÌ„ the person of wycked meÌ„ for wycked meÌ„ do not coÌ„sent to the law they serue obey not the law of god with theyr mynde S. AusteÌ„ was soÌ„tyme of this opinioÌ„ that the apostle had spokeÌ„ these wordes in the person of euel men but iÌ„ his retractioÌ„s against IuliaÌ„ he doth reuoke this opinioÌ„ and he sayd that at that tyme he vnderstode not Apostell aryght Now he that speaketh so and was baptysed and was the electe instrument of God and yet complayneth of concupiscence and calleth it synne then let the scoolemeÌ„ tell whether the Apostell doth well call that concupiscence which bryngeth forth euell frutes excepte it be stopped synne or no Yee let them tell whether the holy goost dyd erre in that worde Verely .i. Corin. xiiii the Apostell thanketh God that he spake more wyth tunges then all the Corinthians dyd Therfore so great an Apostell knewe with what wordes he shuld name concupiscence WheÌ„ we folowe that maner of speakyng we are chaced out mocked and cast out as heretykes of them that are lytell moued with the cause of so great matters so that they may triumphe in the worlde and lyue in peace Then the trueth is that concupiscence the which bryngeth forth the same frutes after baptyme that it dyd before is called synne as the Apostel doth exhorte theÌ„ that be baptysed Ro. vi Let not synne reygne in your mortall bodyes He doth not saye concupiscence but synne for so the trueth of
of the churche is consydered and not the worthynesse of the person Thys is the sūme A wycked man and an vngodly hauyng only a dewe intent although he be an abomynable in the syght of God yet for al that in thys cause because he beareth the persōne or is in the rowme of the church he abydyng a synner and a dānable person he purchasseth and deserueth vnto other men remissyon of syn and euerlastyng lyfe This they saye The olde learnynge The Apostell in the fyrst epistell to the Corinthians the .xi. chapter preparyng the supper of the Lorde dyd wryte that he toke of the Lorde that he taught and gaue to the Corinthians And whan he expounded the busynesse and matter cōcernyng the supper he geueth both the kyndes indifferently to all the bretheren euē as Christ dyd ordeyne Mathe. xxvi Marke xiiii Luke xxii Here we haue the worde and the facte of the Lorde and of hys minister Paule and also of the primitiue church in the which as thē fayth was more lyuely charite was more feruent hope was more sure and holy christendom was more purer for it was nearer the quycke sprynge Yf it be so that it is not leful for vs to kepe the worde and the dede of Christ specially in a great mater as is the sacramēt for what intent shall the churche of God haue the scripture expoūded and declared Dyd not euen the new wryters as Gersō saye That nother the byshop of Rome nor generall councell nor yet the church oughte to chaūge the learnynge that was geuen vs by the euangelistes by Paul Yf it be lawfull to euery man that lyst to chaunge in the sacramētes of the church those thynges which Christ taught to be kept the apostles both taught and kept I pray you what case shall the church be in then which shal be cōpelled to beleue that Christ the wysedome of the father the Apostels dyd teach christendom such vnperfecte geare so negligently that theyr successours had nede to supplye amēde make perfecte those thynges that Christ his Apostels lefte behynde them raw vnperfect Wyll the Saracens the Arabiās the Agarens whome we call Turkes suffer that ony mā at his pleasure after this fashion shulde chaūge theyr Alcoram wolde sōtyme take somthyng away somtyme vtterly abrogate disanul it that theyr lawmaker had wrytten somthynge vnwarely or wtout diligent hede delyberacyon And we christen mē except we suffer the church to be turned out of frame peruerted to be darkened to be pulled in sunder minished Yee to be vtterly cast awaye we be banyshed destroyed as the enemyes of the church Put the case that these be tollerable who can abyde that ydel felowes shall make marchaundyse of it that was lefte to be the memoriall and remembraunce of the death whiche brought lyfe wherby they make a sacrifyce of the masse crucifye Christ agayne as much as lyeth in them For yf it be so that they worke with theyr dayly sacrifyce as they call it remissyon of synne I praye you thē what synnes dyd the bloude of the new euerlastyng testament take awaye This is therfore our catholyke belefe of the supper of the Lorde Fyrst The supper of the Lord ought for to be done after the ordinaunce of Christe i. Cor. xi that our fayth maye be increaced our charite may be kyndled our hope maye be made sure by the cōtinual remēbraunce of the death of the Lorde that we knowyng the cause of the moost precyous death of the Lorde maye be dayly more and more steared vp to geue thankes for the vnspeakeable loue to destroye the body of synne and to walke in newnesse of lyfe Secondarly Therfore the supper of the Lorde is a memoriall of the death of Christe whiche brought saluacyon and not a sacrifyce but a remembraūce of the sacrifyce that was once offred vp vpon the crosse Thyrdly Ther is a promes Psal c.ix that Christ shal be our byshop for euermore ordened of the father and this promes is perfourmed for Christ hath entred once in to the holy place by an oblacyon makynge perfect for euermore Hebr. ix and .x. so that we nede not to haue hym offred vp for vs agayne the which dyeth nomore Fourthly We knowe of the boke Leuiticus that the oblacyō of Moses was made for synnes whan the oblacyon dyd satisfye and the bloude dyd washe Thē yf this one sacrifyce in the which Christ dyd offer vp hymselfe dyd satisfye for the synnes of the whole worlde accordynge to the prophecye of Esay the .liii. Chapter He dyd beare our synnes and he was torne for oure wyckednesses and .i. Ioh. the .ii. Chapter He is oure satisfaccyon and so forth it foloweth and is a good argument that all the oblacyons which are besyde this be vayne and voyd the which they pretende Fyftly To rayse vp a new oblacyon is to set lytel by the fyrst to proue God a lyar and to deny Christe whiche bought vs after the wordes of saynt Peter .ii. Pet. ii For whan they saye that synnes be releassed forgeuen in the sacrifice of the masse whan the sonne of God is offered vp both for quycke dead it foloweth after theyr opinion that that onely sacrifice of the crosse dyd not satisfye for all synnes And I praye you is not that euen to forsweare denye the Lorde which dyd redeme vs not with corruptible thynges as with golde syluer but with his owne precious bloud whā we say that it is done by the vertue of that masse the which al scripture doth say cōmeth to vs by the death of our Lorde Iesus Christ Syxtly Yet for al that we do not affirme the synnes be remytted only by the partakynge of the supper of the Lorde but whan we do remēbre with a true a kynde fayth the benefyte of our redemption in the which the sōne of god dyd geue his body a sacrifyce for synnes shed his bloud to washe away synne by this fayth we be iustifyed made ryghteous we obtayne remissyon of our synnes gotten by the death of Christ And this is a dilicyous feast of soules of the whiche they that are not partakers shall peryshe Christ in the .vi. Chap. of Ihon sayeth My fleshe is meate in dede and my bloude is drynke in dede The bread that I shal geue is my flesh the which I wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde Excepte we eate this fleshe of the sonne of man and drynke his bloud we shall not haue lyfe in vs but we shal peryshe For it is the breade of lyfe geuynge lyfe to the worlde The whiche breade to eate is to beleue in Christ as he sayeth I am the bread of lyfe he that cōmeth to me shall not be an hūgred and he that beleueth in me shall neuer be thyrsty Verely verely I saye vnto you he that trusteth in me hath euerlastynge lyfe For as the body is fed with naturall bread
none of those thynges that they synge to hyr prayse I pray yow for shame darre the corrupters of scripture geue that vnto the mother which the holy goost dyd prophecy of the sonne of God Genesis iii For he and not she dyd breake the serpeÌ„tes head In somuch that I can not tel whether I shuld maruayl more vpon the grosse rustical ignoraunce of these greate masters or that I shulde crye out vpon the wycked vngodly opinion that they haue of Chryste They haue so lytell regarde what they say that al the thought that they take is that alwayes they shulde be sayenge somthynge And eueÌ„ as in tymes paste the philosophers of Epicures secte and the Stoykes affyrmed that God dyd none other wayes and had no other subsistence then they thought he had and subscrybed the nature of God with vayne dreames deuyces of theyr opinions lykewyse oure false diuynes do ymagen Christe to geue from hym his mercy to sayntes and to be a fearfull iudge and that he damneth all synners excepte that he be pleased â—… swaged by the intercession of some saynte And this ymaginacion pleaseth them well and they coÌ„maunde the church so to beleue Also these fellowes make Mary the necke of the mysticall body Who can abstayne from laughyng yee rather wepynge They make artycles of the fayth besyde the scripture of theyr owne brayne and where they shuld onely stycke to the scripture they bryng forth old wyues fables for sounde and true thynges mesurynge al godly thynges wyth the plummet or lyne of our reason and by the similytudes of thys world And whaÌ„ as they tryfle bothe vnlearnedly and vngodly yet they be not afrayed to dryue to the fyre as many as wyll not play the fooles with theÌ„ And that in all poyntes they may play the false doctors they wrafte the scriptures to confirme theyr errours of the which thyng I haue spoken very largely in oure coÌ„mmune places But left ony man shuld thynke that I saye thys in the reproche of sayntes so I thynke that sayntes shuld be worshipped but after the rule of scripture Seynge that they be the glorious membres of the mysticall body the houshold meny of God and ioyned vnto vs with the moost surest bonde of charite For charite perysheth not but is made perfect in heauen wherfore they loue vs and couet with a brotherly loue oure amendment Therfore let vs reuerently holyly kepe the memory and remembraunce of them in the which we may se the wysdom of God his goodnesse power and the vnspeakeable ryches of mercy to the exercyse of our fayth hope and charyte For as ofte as we remembre theyr manly fyghtyng agaynst the gates of hell and the manyfold grace of god the which the father of all confort poured forth vpoÌ„ these vessels of mercy we are lyfted vp in hope and truste of so great goodnesse And we be prouoked to the folowynge of so greate perseueraunce by theyr vertues set out as whement intysementes What good and deuout maÌ„ is ther but he wyll desyre with all his hart that he myght ouercoÌ„me the enemye of owre saluation with suche strength of fayth as the sayntes were endued and harnessed with all that at the laste hys enemyes ouercome he myght be associate and accoÌ„panyed for euer more with the electe and chosen of god And whan he doth se so excellent vessels of glory made of the chyldren of wrathe and of the lompe of perdicion not by mans merites but by the power of the grace of god that he wyll conceaue a trusty hope of so mercyfull a father the which made vs worthy when he founde vs vnworthy Then yf we pray to God for fayth hope and charite And seke the kyngdome of heaueÌ„ before al other thynges we maye folow the footesteppes of the ryght sayntes then haue we worshipped the sayntes very well and eueÌ„ as we shulde do For the wyl of God and the sayntes is one wherfore what other thynge wyll they axe then the amendement of a synner and the contynuall recordyng and remembraunce of the lawes of God But that we shulde flye for succurre to them in oure aduersite nede that they may be meanes betwene vs and God they nother do require it for they seke nothynge but the glory of God nother can we desyre them to be mediatours for vs excepte we do iniury to the moost perfyte moost sufficieÌ„t mediatour of all Now seyng that the scripture is our candell in the moost darke nyght of thys world we be more sure that call vpon God by Christe the whiche thynge the scripture doth commaunde then they which imagen new kyndes of worshippyng and inuocacions of the which the scripture maketh no mencion at all Call vpon me sayeth the Lord in the tyme of tribulacioÌ„ I shall delyuer the and thou shalt honor me Psalmo xlvi And Ioel. ii Whosoeuer wyll call on the name of God for helpe shal be saued And in thys matter we force not vpon long tyme or longe costume for christendome or a christen mans lyuyng standeth not in the passyng ouer of longe tyme or in the oldnesse or antiquite of costume but in the scriptures of euerlastyng truth Now good reader iudge what kynne of christen men they be that fasten theyr hope not in Christe but in creatures knowyng nothynge at all how muche helpe we haue in Christe They differ very lyttell from idolatrers whyle they go aboute moost earnestly to honoure sayntes they dyshonour them farre out of rule and fashion that can be euen when they geue away from god to the creature hope and confidence the which is dew onely to god As touchyng the myracles reade the .xxiiii. chapter of Math. and the seconde of the .ii. Epistell to the Tessalonyans youre mynde shal be at reste and certifyed ¶ Of the supper of the Lorde The newe learnynge The sacrament of the aultare muste be geuen onely vnto prestes vnder both the kyndes and to lay men onely vnder the kynde of bread because that Christe by a naturall accompaninge or folowyng is whole vnder bothe the kyndes accordyng vnto that sayenge of the sequence The flesh is meate bloud is dryncke Christe abydeth for al that whole vnder both the kyndes A lay man must take his ryghtes euery yeare once at the leaste accordyng to the chapter Omnis vtriusque c. The masse of a prest is a sacrifyce both for quyck and dead and the syn the vnclenesse of the person of the minister stoppeth not the frute seyng that the wrought worke of the masse hath strength and the oblacion is made in the person of the whole church wherefore it is a great merite for by it we deserue muche to oure selues and also to other Wherfore the ordinaunces of masses be good and yearly obytes be profitable For in other good workes the wyckednesse of the person of the minister taketh awaye the cause of the merite here it letteth nothynge where as the faythe